There’s nothing quite like the classic comfort of Old Fashioned Potato Salad. This timeless recipe brings back memories of family picnics, summer barbecues, and hearty meals shared with loved ones.
With tender potatoes, crunchy veggies, and a creamy, tangy dressing, this creamy potato side dish is perfect for any summer meal. Simple, flavorful, and always a hit, it's a dish that never goes out of style.
Table of Contents
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🗝️ Key takeaways
- Is it even summer if there's no potato salad on the table? This classic recipe has been a favorite for generations.
- Summer cookouts, potlucks, picnics, and pool parties all pretty much require a good potato salad.
- Remember to keep salads with mayonnaise COLD. If it's been out for 2 hours or more be safe and throw it out. Nothing ruins a pool party like a trip to the ER.
My mom's homemade potato salad, like her macaroni salad, is simple but has tons of flavor - and I'm giving you plenty of tips and tricks to make it legendary!
By the way, it's even better the next day!
Next time try this unique roasted sweet potato salad for a change from the classic potato salad recipe
🧾 Ingredients
This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the green recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.
📖 Variations & ingredient notes
- Almost any kind of potatoes will work in this easy recipe. Traditional potato salad generally includes russet potatoes. I think the Yukon Gold variety is the best because they have thin skins, hold their shape, and I don't have to peel them!
- I always use Hellman's mayonnaise but use what you like best.
- Use a sweet type onion like Vidalia or 1015. Red onion adds pretty color but is too strong, in my opinion.
- I like plain yellow mustard in this but dijon is great, too.
- Apple cider vinegar has the flavor you want. After all, it's what mom used.
- You can substitute sour cream or plain Greek yogurt for part of the mayonnaise in this recipe if you'd like a tangy potato salad.
- If you're not a mayo fan then use Miracle Whip.
- Leave out the eggs if you don't like them.
- Omit the mustard if you don't care for it.
- Stir in chopped sweet pickles or dill pickles.
- Use pickle juice instead of evaporated milk to thin the mayonnaise mixture.
- Stir in a little crisp cooked bacon just before serving.
🔪 Instructions
This recipe is made with simple ingredients but it relies on the flavors and textures being perfectly balanced. Too much mayo and it will be bland. Too much mustard and it will be too tangy.
This is an overview of the instructions. Full instructions are in the green recipe card at the bottom of the page. Click on the image to see it full size.
- Place eggs in a medium saucepan filled with cold water and hard cook them.
- Dice the raw potatoes. Be sure to peel Russet potatoes. No need to peel them if you're using Yukon Golds or other thin skinned potato.
- Cook potatoes in a large pot filled with salted water until just fork tender. Don't overcook. Drain well.
- Chop the onion and celery.
- Peel and chop the eggs.
- Mix mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, and mustard in a small bowl.
- Add enough evaporated milk to make it like a thin yogurt (think Yoplait)
- Mix the celery, onion, and warm potatoes in a large bowl and pour the dressing over.
- Stir well and chill for at least 4 hours. Sprinkle with paprika and plenty of black pepper before serving.
🤫 Cook's secrets -
If it's been out of the refrigerator for more than 2 hours throw it out - don't take chances. In warmer weather I keep it on ice because it can go bad fast.
Food safety is important!
🍴 Equipment
- large bowl
- chef's knife
- cutting board
- saucepan
- measuring cups and spoons
🎥 Video
🥫 How to store leftover potato salad
Store potato salad in a bowl tightly covered with plastic wrap or in an airtight container. Be sure to refrigerate it promptly and keep it refrigerated.
Always keep your potato salad COLD.
Refrigerate until you are ready to serve, keep the bowl on ice if you're serving outside, and cover and put away leftovers promptly! If it's been out for more than 2 hours throw it away.
This is one of those summer side dishes that doesn't freeze well.
Marye's Tip
If you like sweet pickle relish add in up to half a cup with the dressing.
💭 Things to know
You know, everyone has an idea of how classic potato salad should be made and there's definitely lots of room for your own personal twists! Here are some of my favorite tips to help you become an expert at this summer side dish!
- Instead of boiling potatoes in salted water boil them in chicken or vegetable bouillon for a pop of extra flavor.
- A little bit of mustard adds a BIG kick of flavor. Traditionally it's yellow mustard but if you like dijon or whole grain mustards try that, too.
- If you're using baby potatoes cut them in half so the dressing can soak into the potato a bit.
- Add a little bbq sauce or hot sauce to the dressing for extra zing.
- Use red potatoes and/or red onions for more color.
- Sometimes I use the tiny Yukon Gold potatoes (the size of a big marble) or fingerling potatoes and leave them whole.
- If you want a more creamy texture you can mash some of the potatoes and stir them in.
- Some people prefer Miracle Whip to mayonnaise in the dressing. Personally, y'all know I am a Hellmann's mayonnaise girl but if your mom made it with Miracle Whip who am I to argue?
👩🍳 FAQs
Have other questions? Ask me in the comments!
Plan on ¾ cup to 1 cup of potato salad per person depending on what other dishes are on the table. For a potluck you can get away with ½ cup per person since there are likely to be a lot of different side dishes.
If you've diced them ahead of time then you'll only need to boil them for about 5 tp 10 minutes or until fork tender but not mushy.
You can make it up to 2 days ahead of time. It's actually a good idea to make it the day before - it tastes even better the next day.
📚 Related recipes
📞 The last word
As far as I'm concerned this is the best potato salad ever made. Hellmann's potato salad recipe has been a "family recipe" for decades.
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need.
If you love this recipe please comment below and give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 Recipe
Mom's Homemade Potato Salad 🥔
Print Pin Recipe Save Recipe Rate RecipeIngredients
- 2 pounds potatoes, peeled (if needed) and cut into chunks
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoon vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sugar, optional
- 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
- ½ cup celery, diced small
- ¾ cup Vidalia onion, chopped small
- 3 hard-cooked eggs, chop 2, reserve 1
- paprika
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons evaporated milk, a little less or a little more
Instructions
- Bring eggs to a boil, cover and turn off heat. Set aside for 12 minutes.
- Peel and dice potatoes. If you're using Yukon gold no need to peel!
- Chop the onion and celery.
- Peel and chop the eggs.
- Cook potatoes in rapidly boiling, salted water for about 5 to 10 minutes, or until fork tender but not mushy. Drain.
- Mix the vinegar, mayonnaise, and mustard.
- Add enough evaporated milk to make it like a thin yogurt (think Yoplait). Taste and add sugar if needed.
- Mix the celery, onion, and cooked potatoes in a bowl and pour the dressing over. Taste and stir in salt and pepper as desired.
- Stir well and chill for at least 4 hours.
- Peel and slice remaining hard cooked egg. Arrange on top of the potato salad and sprinkle with paprika before serving.
Notes
- Instead of boiling potatoes in salted water boil them in chicken or vegetable bouillon for a pop of extra flavor.
- Add a little bbq sauce or hot sauce to the dressing for extra zing.
- Use red potatoes and/or red onions for more color.
- Some people prefer Miracle Whip to mayonnaise in the dressing. Personally, y'all know I am a Hellmann's girl but if your mom made it with Miracle Whip who am I to argue?
- If you like sweet pickle relish add in up to half a cup with the dressing.
- Always keep your potato salad COLD. Refrigerate until you are ready to serve, keep the bowl on ice if you're serving outside, and cover and put away leftovers promptly!
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
✍🏻 A note from Marye...
I know y'all don't always like the stories bloggers tell so when I have one I try to put it at the very bottom so you can read or skip as you like.
According to my mom this potato salad recipe had been in the family for generations...
But once I saw it on the back of the Hellmann's mayonnaise jar I figured that either they swiped it from my mom's ancestors (unlikely) or she'd just been making it so long she didn't remember where it came from (more likely).
My mom was from the midwest and I honestly never saw a lot of difference between her original potato salad recipe and southern recipes that I tried.
In Louisiana they tend to mash the potatoes up a bit, in the deep south they add pickle relish...
That's about it. Classic flavors.
One thing I do know, though. No matter where you go you're going to hear, my mom's potato salad was the best!
And it's true. Your own mom's recipes are truly the best because of the love that goes/went in them. That's the family legacy for all of us.
First published June 2, 2020. Last updated June 11, 2024 for editorial corrections and to add more helpful information.
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Cyndi Tobias says
Hey girl hey. Just wondering what part of the South are y'all from? Recipe sounds delicious. I am going to try it with evap milk. Never in my many years heard of that in potatoes salad . Much love
Marye says
From Texas. 🙂 how about you?
Lois Greene says
This is just like my Mom’s recipe except for the pickle juice which I am going try. I also have been making this recipe for about 50 years. Oh my gosh! Well time flies when you are eating good things. I take a bit of literary freedom here. And I also am a Hellman’s person but since I moved to northern SC I will use Dukes Mayo as well.
Jake says
So many no’s. Celery. Evaporated milk. This is not at all a traditional potato salad.
Marye says
Maybe not yours... but I don't think you invented potato salad so there's that.... This recipe is the one my mom made through the 1930s - 1990s....
Lois Greene says
Sometimes, Jake, because a recipe is not traditional to you it may be to others. And it also great to start new traditions!!!!
Suzie Waclawski says
I’m glad to find this one I am a potato salad junkie! This is the same recipe I’ve been making since I was a teen. So over fifty years..yikes! Over the yrs I have tweak it here and there..red onions definitely adds flavor but bacon crumbles added in sends it over the top..
Janet Mills says
This is similar to my recipe, which was my mom's! I just got a phone call from my up-the-road neighbor asking when I was going to be making my potato salad--he always gets a big container of it when I do--he loves it!
The main thing that I learned from my mom for all salads--potato, macaroni, tuna, egg, etc--is to use sweet pickle juice instead of vinegar--I end up begging friends for jars of pickle juice after they've eaten the pickles! The flavor it adds is amazing!
(Hubby likes dill pickle juice in ham salad!)
And I do my potatoes mashed--I'm unable to keep them in chunks, so I just give up!
Thanks for all of your wonderful recipes and ideas!
JOHN says
The Carbohydrates must be a mistake,2 pounds of potatoes with 8 servings would be 4 ounces of of potato each and that alone would be around 4-5 grams of Carbs. even with 1 gram of fiber subtracted for net carbs.it would be 3-4 grams. Love your posts, copy most of you recipes for file to try soon or later; potato salad time in Texas for BBQ, Fish Fry,etc. Helmann's or homemade here.
Marye says
They are. I've added a note at the bottom of the recipe. Thanks!
Deb Clark says
Yum, this sounds fantastic! Just like my Mom's so that means it's GOOD! Love a great potato salad, it's always the perfect side dish!
Marye says
Mom's is always the best!
Lois Greene says
You bet. You can never beat Mom’s recipes.